1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments include a computer-implemented method and system for determining a material utilization for part assemblies. Some embodiments include a method and system for determining a material utilization for one or more vehicle part assemblies.
2. Background Art
Typically, maximizing material utilization during a part design process occurs on a part-by-part process. In this typical process, product (e.g., vehicle) manufacturers determine cost effective methods to maximize the utilization of material blanks. Blanks include the raw material (e.g., steel) from which a product part may be manufactured (i.e., stamped).
Based on this determination, each part may be stamped out of the material blanks. The remainder of the blank, also known as an “offal,” is generally waste and, therefore, discarded.
Blanks are purchased by a product manufacturer from material suppliers in a manner similar to the way consumers purchase materials (e.g., fabric). That is, product manufacturers purchase materials according to particular measurements. For example, product manufacturers may provide a thickness or coil width for the material.
In some instances, suppliers provide materials according to particular specifications based on either the agreement between the supplier and the manufacturer or based on industry standards. Accordingly, product manufacturers generally cannot order materials according to the specifications of the parts being manufactured. Due to this limitation and the fact that blank utilization is a part-by-part determination, the stamping process results in the generation of many offals that may go unused by the product manufacturer.